Workshops

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Please contact Rita to set up a workshop in your area.

Next Workshop in June 16 & 17, 2005
Colby Community College, Colby Kansas
Contact Cathy Gordon at  (785) 462 - 3984 for more details.
Scroll down for list of materials needed.

Painting with a Palette Knife

  Demo: Oil on paper "Foggy Morning"

Painting with a Palette Knife  (workshop description)

Learn to mix and apply oils to canvas using a only a palette knife.  Discover techniques and benefits of painting with a knife using no brushes nor solvents.  

Materials needed:

Six or more small paintings surfaces.  They may be canvas panels, stretched canvas.  Any combination of 8 x 10, 9 x 12 or 11 x 14" You may also use stretched watercolor paper for some of the exercises.

Venetian Red Gesso -- I use Daniel Smith's.

Water soluable black felt tip pen.  Must have a durable nib that will hold up while drawing on canvas.  I use Paper Mate.

Palette Knife -- I require a very firm blade and have found only one knife ( RGM #50 ) from H.R. Meininger Co. in Denver that is suitable for the way I paint.    You may want to experiment with an assortment of knives.

Oil paint -- You will need these colors at a minimum.  You choose shades unless specified.  White, Pthalo Blue,  Pthalo Green, Yellow, Orange, Alizarin Crimson. ( Note:  Black is not necessary.  We won't use it. )

Good additions:  Cerulean Blue, Sap Green, Yellow Ochre

Palette -- I use a wooden one.

Photographs to work from.  Choose simple compositions so you can focus on color and painting techniques during the workshop.

Clean up --  Vegetable oil and paper towels.  Then soap and water.

Demo :  Black gesso and Venetian red gesso 

The last workshop was a success with 15 students creating their own paintings using a palette knife.  The images shown here are two demonstration pieces I did to illustrate the versatility of the knife.  Notice the variation in the mood of the two demonstration paintings.  The same subject translates entirely differently depending on the color of the underlying gesso.